Slovakia vs Croatia

The 2022 World Cup qualifiers enter the decisive stage as Slovakia play host to Croatia at the Tehelné pole in a crunch Group H meeting.

Slovakia squandered a slender one-goal lead against Slovenia on the road last time out to draw a third World Cup qualifying match in the ongoing qualifying cycle (W1). However, that 1-1 stalemate means the hosts sit just one point adrift of the Group H top two as they pursue their first World Cup finals appearance since 2010. Worryingly, though, Slovakia’s underdog status comes as a consequence of their dismal home record versus top-seeded teams in major tournament qualifying groups since their 2010 World Cup exit (W1, L4). Three of those four reverses yielded the identical 1-0 scoreline and witnessed the decisive goal arrive beyond the 60th minute. Still, the ‘Falcons’ can find some encouragement in their recent home form that has seen them go winless in four of their last five home internationals (W2, D2).

Meanwhile, a scoreless away draw in Russia last time out curtailed Croatia’s momentum in this World Cup qualifying campaign (W2). Though the 2018 World Cup runners-up remain at the summit ahead of the kick-off, a run of five consecutive international travels without a victory (D2, L3) remains the elephant in the room. Against this backdrop, Zlatko Dalic’s side will be looking to build on their 100% competitive H2H record (W2) and the fact they won each of those fixtures by a 2+ goal margin (GF:7, GA:1). That said, the Croats have drawn a blank in their last three away internationals, including friendlies. A strong start could be of the utmost importance here, given that Croatia’s previous ten away World Cup qualifying games have seen at least one side fail to get on the scoresheet (W3, D3, L4).